JanTerm

JanTerm is much like a collegiate mini semester. It takes place during the first two weeks of January. Students in grades 7 and 8 choose four topical two-week seminars that offer a greater opportunity to explore new course topics which may not fit into the traditional academic year, but are perfect for shorter, more intensive study. Courses are developed by faculty, administrators, and staff, all of whom bring tremendous creativity and personal passion into the classroom. Typically, about 70 unique classes are offered each year. To see the courses offered, please download the JanTerm 2024 At-a-Glance Catalog (PDF) or check out the full JanTerm 2024 Course Catalog which is now available online.

Immersion Weeks

During JanTerm, students in grades 5 and 6 participate in special immersion weeks. Grade 5 students have a Science Immersion Weeks, developing their Science Fair projects, while grade 6 students enjoy Shakespeare Immersion Weeks, culminating in a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for parents and classmates.

JanTerm

Program Goals

JanTerm is intentionally different from what students experience during their regular semester classes in grades 7 – 12. First, we are able to offer a greater breadth of curriculum. With multiple, unusual courses to choose from, students are exposed to a broader range of topics that they would not normally get an opportunity to study in school. Secondly, JanTerm gives teachers and students an opportunity to drill down and study these specialist topics in more depth. It’s no surprise that many students look back at their JanTerm experience as one of the highlights of their Bear Creek education and the time when their passion for a particular activity or area of study was first ignited.

JanTerm 2024 Daily Schedule

Students sign up for four block classes, which meet for 70 or 80 minutes per day for seven days from January 2 – January 11, 2024, (no school on Fridays, January 5 and 12). For additional details, see Lunch and Activity Schedules (also 2-Hour Delay).

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, students attend four 80-minute blocks as follows:

Block 1: 8:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Block 2: 9:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Block 3: 11:10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Activity Period: 1:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.
Block 4: 1:25 p.m. – 2.45 p.m.

On Wednesday, students attend four 70-minute blocks as follows:

Block 1: 9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Block 2: 10:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Block 3: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Block 4: 1:35 p.m. – 2.45 p.m.

Registration Information

Each grade level has a specific date/time when students may register:

Grade 12*: Monday, October 30, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Grade 11*: Tuesday, October 31, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Grades 10* and 8: Wednesday, November 1, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Grades 9* and 7: Thursday, November 2, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

* Important: Upper School students enrolled in AP classes at Bear Creek must register for their AP class(es) as well. Students should look up the assigned JanTerm sections of the AP classes and register for their classes in the correct block. Please note that the group of students you are with during JanTerm may not be the same as those from your fall semester AP class.

Important registration reminders:

Do not register before the time allotted for your grade level. If you register early, your registration will be deleted.
If you are unable to register during the specified time, your parents can register for you using their login credentials (a friend or other relative can also do this if you share your username and password).
Select one class in each of the 4 blocks. The software will prevent you from selecting more than one class per block. If the same class is repeated twice in different blocks (e.g., grilling), you may only sign up for one of the blocks. AP students, remember to select your AP classes too (see scheduled classes).
Some classes fill up faster than others. Make sure you have a back-up plan with reserve choices in case a preferred class is full. Please do not contact teachers directly and ask if you can join a class if it is full.
You will only secure your spot in a class when you click on the Confirm Program Selections button. If your registration is successful, you will receive a confirmation email listing the classes for which you have registered. The email will be sent to your school email address. Please double check that the confirmation email shows you are registered for four (4) JanTerm classes. Note: If your parent registers for you using his/her own credentials, he/she will get the confirmation email.
If you don’t see four (4) classes listed in your confirmation email, it may be that you either did not select four (4) classes or one or more of the classes you selected was filled up while you were in the process of completing registration. If that was the case, you should go back into the registration portal, select a different class, then proceed as you did before to the Confirm Program Selections button. You will only need to re-select a class for the missing block.
All class choices are final. Changing classes is not permitted after JanTerm registration, except under special circumstances, so please choose wisely.

Watch the recorded guide to JanTerm registration below.

If you have further questions, contact Director of Student Information Systems James Woollard (jwoollard@tbcs.org).

Information for Guest Instructors

We have a number of opportunities for parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends of Bear Creek to volunteer to teach a JanTerm class in January 2024.

What is JanTerm?
JanTerm is like a collegiate mini semester. Students will choose four topical, 7-day seminars that offer a greater opportunity to explore new course topics which may not fit into the traditional academic year but are perfect for shorter, more intensive study. Courses are taught by current grades 7 – 12 faculty, and there are also a few opportunities for others to teach a class.

When does JanTerm take place?
JanTerm 2024 runs for seven days, from January 2 – 11, sandwiched between Christmas vacation and the start of spring semester.

What does the daily schedule look like?
On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, students attend four 80-minute blocks as follows:

On Wednesday, students attend four 70-minute blocks as follows:

Block 1: 9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Block 2: 10:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Block 3: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Block 4: 1:35 p.m. – 2.45 p.m.

Note: Volunteer teachers would teach just one class during one of the blocks (1, 2, 3 or 4)

What types of classes are we looking for?
JanTerm gives us a unique opportunity to offer classes that we would not normally be able to offer in school. It’s this breadth of curriculum and the ability to dive deep into these specialist topics that makes JanTerm so special. In short, we want this to be a fun, eye-opening, and different experience for the students. For an example of the kinds of courses offered, please review the JanTerm 2023 At-a-Glance Catalog or the full JanTerm 2023 Course Catalog.

Are guest instructors restricted to teaching students in a particular division?
No, guest instructors may offer a class to all students in grades 7 – 12 or just to students in grades 9 – 12 or students in grades 7 – 8.

What are the next steps?
With the above in mind, please submit the following information to James Woollard (jwoollard@tbcs.org) by Friday, September 29:

JanTerm course title* (clear, enticing, not too cryptic please!)
Course description* (100 – 150 words, written in the third person, clearly describing the nature of your course, including any student prerequisites, and whether repeat students are permitted or not*)
Grade range for class enrollees (7 – 8 or 9 – 12)
Other important information (preferred block, anticipated costs/field trip needs, etc. James Woollard will follow up)

*In your course titles and descriptions, please try to “sell” your class. Sometimes students think they won’t like a particular class because of what it sounds like on paper, so try to make the class sound interesting and fun!